


It's Like That Old Movie, Ghost

by kingdomfaraway



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Endgame Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt/Comfort, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Questionable Magic, crackish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:20:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25223794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingdomfaraway/pseuds/kingdomfaraway
Summary: Peter Parker is 100% sure he’s being haunted by a ghost.He is also 99.9% sure that it’s the ghost of Tony Stark.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 210
Collections: Irondad and his Iron kids, The Friendly Neighborhood Exchange





	It's Like That Old Movie, Ghost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heroineaddict](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heroineaddict/gifts).



> For heroineaddict who requested Endgame Fix-it, which I might have have delivered with a side of crack and fluff.

Peter Parker is 100% sure he’s being haunted by a ghost. 

He is also 99.9% sure that it’s the ghost of Tony Stark.

*

It starts out with small things.

Peter’s spider sense goes a little haywire after the funeral. It’s not full-blown oh my god you’re going to die, but it’s more like he knows something is weird. He keeps getting the feeling like someone is always near him, even when he’s alone.

He thinks he sees something out of the corner of his eye, whips his head around and nothing’s there.

This has happened before, once or twice, but there's always been a reason for it. Like a threat is oncoming or the person he’s around is a bad guy. 

But when nothing comes of it after a week, he just chalks it up to emotions. 

*

Things start getting a bit weird after that.

One night he falls asleep in the middle of finishing a chemistry equation. He remembers where he left off because he actually knows the answer but sleep wins. May comes in at some point, pushes Peter until he crawls into bed and sleeps there.

When he wakes up he’s in a blind panic to finish said chemistry equation on the account of it’s due in 2 hours and he hasn’t been able to hand in his chemistry homework in about a week. 

He’s surprised when he sees it finished out.

There’s a moment that follows where he just stares, feeling uneasy by the situation but grateful at the same time. He figures he woke up in the middle of the night and powered through it. 

He certainly isn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

A few nights later he finishes up a page of 50 algebra equations. He leaves it out on the desk, too tired to put things away. When he wakes up, he notices there were a few corrections made. It’s weird but he shrugs that off too. 

If he has some guardian angel homework helper, he’s not going to complain about it. 

After that, he tries a little experiment. He leaves a half-finished science worksheet, it gets finished by morning. But when he leaves out his critical essay on Kafka and the Metamorphosis it gets ignored.

Peter comes up with the conclusion that it’s most likely a good-natured ghost who likes science and hates literature. 

*

The food thing starts a little after the homework thing.

It’s not that Peter doesn’t like to or want to eat, it’s just he’s busy. So when things like apples, granola bars, and juice boxes start migrating into his backpack or sit waiting for him on his desk, he assumes it’s May.

It wouldn’t be the first time she’s packed him food. He decides to mention it one day, just in case. 

“Hey, thanks for the apple today,” he says casually as they watch The Bachelor.

“Hm?” May asks, she’s way too absorbed into watching if Jeff is going to give Casey a rose or not. “What’s that sweetheart?” she asks again a second later after Jeff does not give Casey a rose (which really, he should have, but not that he cares or anything).

“The apple, there was one in my backpack this morning…” he trails.

“Oh,” she says and then thinks, “that wasn’t me.”

“Oh,” Peter parrots, “huh, well, it was probably MJ she keeps telling me I need to eat more fruit.”

May eyes him but then Jeff gives Laura a rose and she yells at the TV. 

He knows you’re not supposed to take candy from a stranger, but he’s never heard anyone tell him not to accept snacks from a ghost.

*

The ghost has a sense of humor, Peter realizes one night. He’s listening to music from his phone as he reviews his Spanish homework.

He’s got on his lab playlist for the first time in awhile. The next song that starts is familiar and comforting.

“Don’t Fear The Reaper,” he says with a fondness, “I love AC/DC.”

The music stops abruptly. Peter looks and it’s paused. So unpauses it. It plays for a second then pauses again. This goes on for a solid 10 minutes and then, the music app uninstalls itself. 

Peter takes the hint. 

*

It’s late one night and Peter’s having a nightmare. It’s a normal occurrence, a dream he knows all too well. He tosses and turns in bed, flails his arms a little, and just when he thinks he’ll never escape, he hears someone. 

“Kid.”

A voice cutting through the darkness of his nightmare, a voice he misses. It startles him awake and in the darkness of his room, he searches for the voice. 

“Mr. Stark?” He calls out, quietly but no one answers.

*

His phone and laptop are always plugged in and charging even when he swears he didn’t plug them in.

His alarm goes off at the right time, even if he doesn’t set it. 

Every electronic device he owns works 100 times better than it ever did before. 

He’s not scared or anything, he just has a feeling of general unease about the whole thing. 

*

The first person Peter tells is Ned. Because Ned is very reliable and usually has a grasp on things.

“What?” Ned asks incredulously as Peter explains what’s been going on over the last few weeks. “Are you trying to say Tony Stark is your guardian angel?”

“Uh,” Peter starts and shrugs, “I dunno? I mean it might not even be Mr. Stark. I just, I heard his voice, I know I did.”

“Way cool. Why is your life so much cooler than mine? It’s not fair.”

Peter tries to smile but it comes out a grimace and Ned must realize how insensitive the statement was because he quickly comes back with. “Sorry, dude. That was not cool of me. But listen I have an Ouija board. Why don’t we try to contact him? Maybe find out if it’s him or not.”

They plan on meeting at Peter’s house on Friday night to contact the ghost that may or may not be Tony Stark and for some reason, MJ invites herself along. 

They sit in a circle in Peter’s room. MJ brought over these weird candles, which she lit with a match. They sit awkwardly for a few moments before bringing their hands onto the small wooden planchette. 

“Okay,” Peter says slowly, “uh, I guess, the first question is. Is there, uh, anyone here? Besides us.”

There’s a lot of anticipation in the room, the three of them stare at the board. 

And nothing happens. Peter sighs and pulls his hand away. 

“Try again,” Ned encourages, “maybe he is visiting someone else.”

Peter puts his fingers back on the planchette. “Alright, uh, Tony?”

There’s another stretch of silence and the piece does not move at all. Peter’s just about to call it quits when the planchette moves without warning, slowly at first.

“Uh, guys?” Peter questions, eyes wide. MJ and Ned look the same, it’s clear they are just as surprised.

It moves very slowly, spells out two words:

M R S T A R K

Peter laughs, no other questions are answered after.

*

Peter starts to hear him more often suddenly. It’s like words on a breeze and he ignores it at first. But then it just keeps happening. 

Sometimes it’s his name, sometimes it’s just “kid”, maybe a few other nicknames.

He tries to find it funny or even scary, but it’s not. Every name is a punch to the gut. A constant reminder of what’s not there anymore. 

Sometimes when he hears it, if he’s alone, he answers back. 

*

Peter knows he should tell an adult about it. Part of him thinks it’s just a joke. Maybe someone is playing a very elaborate prank on him. There’d be no reason for Tony Stark to actually haunt him. 

And then a part of him, really wants it to be Tony Stark. And that part of him doesn't want to tell anyone, in case they make Tony Stark go away. 

But then he starts to get the chills that creep down his spine. He feels like he’s walking into cold spots every time he moves. It’s Tony, he knows it. He can feel it sometimes if he closes his eyes and thinks hard enough. 

In the end, he goes with the person he thinks might actually have answers for him.

*

“So,” Doctor Strange starts, “you think Tony Stark is haunting you?”

Peter shrugs. “I guess. I mean, it sounds like it doesn't it? Can’t you like do a spell and find out?”

Doctor Strange hums brings his hand to his chin in thought. And then he sits back in his chair and then goes to sleep. Or dies. Or something, because he looks like he took a quick nap. Peter stills, a little nervous but waits it out. A minute or so later, Doctor Strange opens his eyes.

“I just visited the astral plane, I did not see Stark anywhere.”

Peter gets a hit of anxiety down his spine, a sudden chill hits the room. He swears he feels Tony’s annoyance. “Uh,” Peter starts, “it feels like he’s here.”

“There might be something else we can try,” he says, getting up and walking over to Peter. “Relax. I’m going to send you to another realm.”

Before Peter can open his mouth, he’s suddenly falling backward. He instinctively tries to shoot a web, but nothing happens. Instead, he’s back to standing and wow, he’s standing behind his own body. 

“Is that really what my hair looks like from the back, ugh,” he observes as he eyes his body. Doctor Strange is standing in front of him still and Peter looks like he’s sleeping. “This is so weird.”

And then he hears it, what he’s been hearing for almost a month now. 

“Kid.”

He turns like he always does and this time, it’s worth it. Standing behind him is Tony Stark.

*

Several things happen in the span of 10 seconds. Peter and Tony move at the same time, straight line and Peter is hugging him as if his life depends on it. He’s a koala bear, arms wrapped around Tony’s middle. He squeezes so hard, maybe a little too hard because Tony makes an oof sound, and then Peter starts to hyperventilate, just a little.

“Woah there, kiddo,” Tony says he pulls away a bit but Peter does not allow it. 

“No.”

“Okay,” Tony replies, “okay.”

There is an indeterminate amount of time that passes where all Peter thinks about is Tony Stark being alive and how he’s never going to actually stop hugging him. There is nothing else in the world that matters.

And then he pulls away. “Why were you doing my homework for me? And what’s with all the snacks?”

“Why did you bring your friends over with an Ouija board to talk to me? I almost didn’t do it out of spite alone! Tony Stark is not a party trick at a 10-year-old’s birthday party.”

“I didn’t know what else to do! You are a ghost!” Peter points a finger at him. “You should have just, you know, wrote me a note or something! This could have been solved a lot quicker you know. ‘Hey Pete, I’m a ghost. Why don’t you ask someone for help?’”

Tony furrows his eyes at him. “Well, I mean. I didn’t know what would happen. I was just going to hang around and be helpful. I didn’t realize you could hear me right away.”

“Yeah well,” Peter says, hand rubbing the back of his neck, “I could hear you and I’m glad I did because now we can bring you back to the land of the living.”

“I don’t know Pete,” Tony says, “if I’m a ghost…” 

“Don’t care,” Peter says, “if wizards and aliens exist, if a tree and a raccoon can be best friends and if I can get bit by a radioactive spider and get abs overnight, then you can stop being a ghost and start being a real person again. I refuse to believe it’s impossible.”

Tony smiles a big one. Peter tries very hard not to cry or hug him again. There’s a beat of silence and then suddenly Peter is being pulled away and back into his body. When he opens his eyes he’s already mid-sentence. “- a ghost or something but I saw him! I talked to him! I hugged him!”

Doctor Strange is giving him a weird look, part confused and part amused. “You saw Stark?”

“Yes!” Peter says jumping up and turning around, “he’s right there,” he points to the empty spot where he was just clinging to his mentor. “Can you bring him back to life?” He asks with excitement, but then quickly, “I feel like I need to be very specific about how he’s brought back to life. No zombies.”

“Well,” Doctor Strange starts and does his hand to chin thinking pose, “He’s not a ghost. I think he’s stuck in a different astral plane.”

Very suddenly Peter hears Tony’s voice again, mumbling something about hippie new age stuff. The voice is louder than it had been before. “Uh,” Peter starts, “I can hear him. And it’s louder. Like, much clearer than before.”

He hears Tony swear and then he squints at the location he heard the voice from. 

“Hmm,” Doctor Strange repeats, “excuse me, I must consult someone.”

And then he does the hand thing and walks into a portal and oh, he’s gone. Peter stares into the empty space where he was, back to the empty space where Tony once was. Back and forth, like it’s a tennis match because he actually has no idea what to do.

“You’re going to give yourself whiplash, kid. Just take a seat and wait for Gandfal to return.”

*

Doctor Strange returns just as Tony is telling Peter about the time he spent roughly $10,000 on a very elaborate prank just to make Rhodey think his old apartment was haunted. He’s lamenting how he’s missed his chance to actually do it for real now.

Doctor Strange walks out of a portal, this time behind him is another wizard looking person. He does not introduce him.

“Peter,” Doctor Strange starts, “I need you to close your eyes and think about Tony Stark. You need to think about strong memories you’ve had with him. Times with strong emotions attached to them. You don’t need to say anything out loud, just focus on those moments. The more memories you can think of the better.”

“Like in Harry Potter? You know, Expecto Patronum?” Peter asks, but neither individuals in front of him give him any sort of answer. “I mean, yeah totally. Okay.”

He closes his eyes and pictures Tony Stark asking him to go to Germany. He thinks of Tony Stark walking out of a suit after the ferry. He thinks of Tony Stark inviting him to join the Avengers, hands on his shoulders. 

He thinks of Tony Stark sitting at his parent-teacher conference, listening to his teachers drone on and on. He thinks about Tony Stark showing him Iron Man’s Greatest Fails YouTube videos to make him laugh after a bad patrol. He thinks about Tony Stark making him waffles one morning at the Compound. He thinks about Tony Stark holding his hand when he had his blood taken because he hates needles. 

He thinks of Tony Stark on Titan, holding him so close as he felt himself drifting away into nothing. He thinks of Tony Stark reaching for a hug in the middle of a battlefield. He thinks of Tony Stark doing his homework, charging his phone, bringing him snacks even when he’s not a real person anymore.

He doesn’t feel any different as he thinks of these things. He just pictures each moment, like a greatest hits, a mixtape of Tony Stark moments. He doesn’t know if Doctor Strange and his friend are doing anything to him, or anyone else. He just stays focused on the moments.

And then, he hears it loud and clear. “You did it, Pete.”

*

When he opens his eyes, Tony Stark is standing next to Doctor Strange. They both look happy, which is an odd expression to see on both their faces at the same time. Tony hugs Doctor Strange and it gets a whole lot weirder. 

“Uh,” Peter says to the group, “did I just will Tony Stark back to life?”

“Not exactly,” Doctor Strange’s friend replies. “It seems that after using the stones to snap, Tony entered the Soul Realm. There isn’t much known about it, but Tony’s soul was able to reside there.”

“Okay,” Peter says like it makes all the sense in the world. It doesn’t have to actually. “Is Tony like, alive for real now?”

“I think so,” Tony says, “I feel alive.”

“Yes, Stark is alive again. I think your senses along with your attachment to Stark allowed you to feel his presence in the Soul Realm. We were able to use your emotional attachment to pull him out.”

“Huh,” Peter says, “checks out.”

*

Doctor Strange brings them to Tony’s cabin and from there it’s a parade of crying people. All shocked and amazed and so very happy. Peter spends a lot of time hugging people and crying, which is surprisingly what Tony is doing too.

Everyone keeps thanking Peter like he’s actually done something besides have a very strong attachment to Tony Stark and believe in ghosts.

At the end of a very long day, it’s just Tony and him sitting on the front porch. The house is full of people, all sleeping and happy. It took an hour to detach Morgan from her father’s arms. 

“So,” Tony says, his arm around Peter’s shoulder. Peter leans into his embrace, head resting on his shoulder. He needs to be here, needs to feel how solid and alive Tony is. He still doesn’t believe it, still can’t believe this is a real thing. 

“So,” Peter says back.

“I hope you realize that I invented time travel to bring you back to life,” Tony says and there’s a level of smugness in his voice that Peter has missed so much.

Peter smiles. “Yeah well, I loved you so much I was able to pull you out of the soul realm or something.”

“Actually, two wizards did the actual work, all you had to do was think really hard.”

“This is not a competition and without my love, you’d still be a ghost forced to look after me for the rest of my life.”

Tony laughs a real laugh that Peter has also missed so very much. “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I’m doing now, kiddo. Except now I have better things to do that aren’t listening to you wax poetically about Thor’s biceps in the mirror.”

Peter laughs too, he feels his face getting red and if he hadn’t cried them all out, he’s sure he’d be crying tears again. He closes his eyes, leans in closer if possible. Tony smells like Tony, a mix of aftershave and motor oil. He can hear the soft thud, thud, thud of Tony’s heart.

Peter hums a little and sighs. “Are you still going to do my homework for me?”

Tony kisses the top of Peter’s head. “Love you too, kid.”


End file.
